Superintendent outlines referendum outreach and priorities; board legislative update reviews Forward Exam changes and upcoming budget hearings

Superintendent Dr. Garrison used the board meeting to thank the many community organizations, staff and volunteers who participated in referendum outreach and listed groups the district met with during the campaign.

Dr. Garrison said the referendum addresses four priority spending buckets the district previously described to the community and that administration had built an online calculator and other materials to help voters understand the proposals. He said the district’s goal, if the referendum is successful, is to keep the mill rate at or under a referenced target (a figure discussed in the presentation) over the next three years. He also said the district will update its budget model, attend to statutory deadlines for teacher contracts and the BEA negotiations, and prepare budget revisions and staffing decisions based on the election outcome. Dr. Garrison thanked Hadley Communications and internal staff for preparing materials and a public calculator the district posted.

Board member Megan Miller delivered a legislative update and explained recent state‑level discussion of the Forward Exam and cut scores. Miller said Governor Tony Evers vetoed a bill that would have changed Forward Exam cut scores and that the state’s forward exam guidance had been revised recently to align test standards differently from NAEP. Miller explained that the prior alignment compared skills to a level above the tested grade while the revised cut scores aim to align more closely to current grade‑level standards and that the new language replaces labels such as “below basic/basic/proficient/advanced” with “developing/approaching/meeting/advanced.”

Miller also noted upcoming Joint Finance Committee budget hearings and a local listening session with state legislators. She encouraged community members to submit comments to the Joint Finance Committee website and cited locations and times for hearings in the region.

Dr. Garrison and board members said they will provide a more detailed post‑election briefing and continued planning regardless of the vote outcome.